Native Deodorant Lawsuit: Is 'Unscented' Native Really Unscented? (2026)
The short answer
You picked the stick that says Unscented, because scent gives you a headache.
A shopper sued on August 12, 2026. She alleged Native Unscented has a scent ingredient in it, ginger root extract. Her complaint says the unscented stick cost $5.28 an ounce, and a scented Native $4.35. The case was dropped on October 2, 2026, with no ruling and no payout for shoppers.
The scented stick has a scent. The unscented stick has one too, the lawsuit says, and it cost you more. Next time, get a cleaner stick from a company that stands behind its word.
What this guide answers
What else on your dresser deserves a second look?
The free 3 minute scan goes room by room and tells you what to swap first. You give a first name and a cell, and your score comes by one text. Nobody calls. It is free because I would rather you see your own shelf than take my word for it.
Take the free home scanWhat does the Native lawsuit say is in the unscented stick?
Quick answer: ginger root extract. The complaint calls it a fragrance, and its price table puts Unscented 93 cents an ounce higher.
You stood in the store aisle longer than you meant to, a white stick in each hand. You put the scented one back.
No shame in that. Unscented was printed big on the front. The ginger sat in the fine print, the complaint says.
You want a deodorant that smells like nothing. That is a fair thing to want. The complaint says the problem is the word Procter & Gamble put on the front.
Native looks like a small natural brand. P&G bought it in November 2017, CNBC reported. Back then the stick ran about $12, more than double some P&G brands.
The shopper who sued bought hers at a Target in New York in the spring of 2026. She saw "unscented" and believed there was no fragrance in it, the complaint says.
It says the stick holds ginger root extract. It calls that "an aromatic essential oil" with "a warm, spicy, and fresh scent."
Then it lays out the price. Native Sea Salt & Cedar was $13.47 for 3.1 ounces. Native Unscented was $13.99 for 2.65 ounces.
Here is the math. By the complaint's own numbers, the scented stick was $4.35 an ounce. Unscented was $5.28.
So by those numbers, you paid more for less stick. That would sting all on its own.
Zingiber officinale, the ginger on the list
The case is about a word, and a price. The front says Unscented, and the complaint says ginger is in the stick.
The complaint also says shoppers had "no reason to know." It says "average consumers may not know" this extract gives off a scent.
Is there a Native settlement or payout?
Quick answer: no. The case was dropped on October 2, 2026, with no money set up for shoppers.
On October 2, 2026, the shopper's lawyers filed a notice of voluntary dismissal, the court record shows. That is her side dropping the case.
The record does not say why. It shows no ruling on the label and no class settlement. So there is no claim form.
The suit only ever asked to cover New York shoppers.
The same day, a new federal case with the same name was opened in California, the court record shows. Its papers are not public yet.
A dropped case is not a cleared label, though. The word is still the question.
The record so far. Start with the last column, because that is the fair part.
| What happened | The concern | Named authority and date | What it does NOT mean |
|---|---|---|---|
| Ginger root extract in the Unscented stick | A scent ingredient, the complaint alleges | S.D.N.Y. complaint, August 12, 2026 | Not a claim that ginger hurt anyone |
| $5.28 an ounce against $4.35 | You paid more for the word, by the complaint's math | Same complaint, August 12, 2026 | Not a ruling, the case was dropped October 2, 2026 |
| "Simple ingredients" and "Born in the USA" | Not supported, NAD said | NAD Case 7277, June 27, 2024 | P&G disagreed in part, and agreed to comply |
| Native deodorant "absorbs" wetness | No reasonable basis, the panel found | NARB panel, December 16, 2019 | Not a finding of wrongdoing, NARB's notice says |
Is there a case for P&G?
Quick answer: yes, a fair one. No court found the label false, and the suit never said the stick hurt anyone.
One. A complaint is one side's story. This one was dropped before P&G ever answered it in court.
Two. Ginger root is a plant, and nobody in the suit said it made anyone sick.
Three. In April 2025 a federal judge in New York threw out a different shopper suit against Native. It went after the "72-hour odor protection" promise. The judge wrote that Native had given the shoppers' lawyers evidence it "had in fact clinically tested the deodorant."
So why does it still sit wrong with me?
Because the ad industry's own reviewers have flagged words on Native twice before.
In June 2024, an ad industry watchdog called NAD looked at Native's claims. It said "simple ingredients" was not supported for its deodorants. It asked P&G to change it or drop it. To be fair, the same review backed the "Clean. Simple. Effective." line.
The same decision asked P&G to drop "Born in the USA." NAD said P&G "did not provide any evidence" its products were made in the USA. P&G said it "respectfully disagrees" with parts of it, and agreed to comply.
In December 2019, a review panel looked at two Native wetness claims. P&G had owned Native for two years. The panel found Native "failed to provide a reasonable basis" for saying its deodorant absorbs wetness and protects against it. Native agreed to drop both.
And so the fix is a different company to buy from.
What do you put on tomorrow morning instead?
Quick answer: a cleaner stick, from a company that stands behind the word on the front.
You do not have to redo your whole bathroom shelf tonight. Start with the stick on your dresser, because it is on your skin every single morning.
No need to toss the Native stick. Just do not buy it again.
I am not going to tell you to study the back of the next stick. By the complaint's account, the ginger was in the fine print while the front said Unscented.
So the question is who stands behind the word. For deodorant and the rest of your bathroom shelf, I point you to Switch to America. It is a private membership store. We are the manufacturer. No middlemen, no markup.
You are far from the only one who took Unscented at its word. The complaint says shoppers "reasonably believe" unscented means no added fragrance.
Shannon's Advice
Straight talk from ShannonI do not call them grocery stores. They are poison centers meant to do you and your family harm. It is not just the brands who are doing the harm, it is the stores themselves. They allow these toxic products on their shelves. People are sick and dying. This is a very serious matter. How can we ever trust them again?
We can't trust them. That is where Switch to America comes in. We are a new supply chain, built on family values, trust and affordability.
You do not have to take my word for it. The proof is in my blog posts, the recalls, the lawsuits and the fines, and in the app I built called The Family Home Toxic Scorecard. Also, inside my Switch Circle private community, we talk about real solutions.
Women come to me exhausted, in pain, stressed out, and on a list of prescriptions they never wanted. I have spent over 20 years helping women get off prescription medications. I help families reclaim their health.
We cannot stop them. I have stopped expecting to. However, we can stop walking into their stores. We are linking arms and together taking our control back. Control of our health and our finances.
Start by clicking the link below and taking the SCAN.
The receipts
- Class action complaint, Chiaravalloti v. The Procter & Gamble Company, US District Court, Southern District of New York, No. 1:26-cv-06902, filed August 12, 2026. Maria Chiaravalloti alleges Native Unscented Deodorant contains "the fragrance ingredient" ginger root extract, and lists $5.28 an ounce against $4.35 for Sea Salt & Cedar. What it means: the word on the front is the thing in dispute.
- Court docket for the same case. It shows a notice of voluntary dismissal filed October 2, 2026, and no ruling or class settlement. What it means: there is nothing to claim from this case.
- BBB National Programs, NAD Case 7277, June 27, 2024. NAD recommended P&G change or drop "simple ingredients" for Native deodorants and drop "Born in the USA." P&G "respectfully disagrees" with parts and agreed to comply. What it means: two claims on Native did not hold up, by NAD's account.
- National Advertising Review Board, December 16, 2019. A panel found Native "failed to provide a reasonable basis" for its wetness claims. It notes this is not a finding of wrongdoing. What it means: the words on the stick are the company's to prove.
- Opinion and Order, Hernandez v. Zenlen, Inc., S.D.N.Y. No. 1:24-cv-04846, April 9, 2025. Judge Denise Cote dismissed a shopper suit over Native's 72-hour claim. What it means: a lawsuit is a claim, and Native has won one before.
Who do you become?
You become the one who knows who stands behind her stick.
It is a Tuesday morning in November. The sun is on the dresser. You brush your hair. You put on the stick that came straight from the manufacturer.
You are not in a store aisle with a white stick in each hand. You do not wonder what Unscented meant.
It started with one stick on one dresser.
Three minutes, room by room
The deodorant was one stick. The free scan checks the rest of your house and tells you what to swap first. A first name and a cell, one text with your score, and nobody calls. Free, because your own shelf is better proof than my word.
Take the free home scanWhat else do people ask?
Is there a Native deodorant settlement I can claim?
Not from this case. It was dropped on October 2, 2026, with no ruling and no class settlement. There is no claim form.
Who did the Native lawsuit cover?
Only New York. It asked to cover buyers there from the past four years.
Did the lawsuit say the ginger hurt anyone?
No. It names no one the ginger hurt. But it does say ginger root extract has compounds that can cause "skin sensitivity." It asked for money over the price, not over anyone's skin.
Did P&G admit anything?
No. The case was dropped before P&G answered it, and no judge ruled. Every word of the complaint is an allegation.